Biography

Mandar Rao Dessai is a promising talent and plays on the left of midfield. He is blessed with a great left foot and has the ability to dribble past defenders with his pace and ball control. Hailing from Parra, Dessai preferred football even as his friends dabbled at cricket. He got his first footballing lessons while playing for his village team Clube Atlético de Parra in the Goa Football Association age group tournaments. From there the Ronaldinho fan moved on to his dream club Dempo and has been with them ever since.

During Hero ISL 2016, the youngster made a name for himself with some solid performances for FC Goa. Mandar has represented India at the under-23 level, but is yet to make his debut with the senior Indian team. He netted thrice for FC Goa in Hero ISL 2015 and will be full of confidence heading into his third season with the Gaurs.

Career highlights

Captained Goa-India at the 2014 Lusofonia Games in Goa and won the gold.